


Beware of the Night's Claws

by darkmaga (whileitrains)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fictober 2019, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Game(s), Post-War, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 10:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21052925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whileitrains/pseuds/darkmaga
Summary: After Caspar suggested they follow an uncharted shortcut, the pair finds themselves lost out in the woods along with the night and all of its dangers.Fictober Day 2: "Just follow me, I know the area."





	Beware of the Night's Claws

**Author's Note:**

> A 10k fic for a daily challenge? It's more likely than you think! 
> 
> I'm very late with this, but I still plan on doing all 31 days. I hope I can restrain myself to writing shorter stuff in the future. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> (Just so you know, I might've taken some liberties with the combat system.)

“Caspar, I’m starting to think you haven’t been very honest about your familiarity with the area” Linhardt sighed.

Tired as he may be, Linhardt was attentive enough to know they had been moving in circles for a while now. The ethereal moon nights were harshly cold, specially in the Faerghus area, making it a priority to seek refuge. Ideally, they would have reached the next village in their traced path by now, but Caspar claimed they could get there sooner by taking an uncharted shortcut… which put them in their current predicament. 

He was grateful he didn’t have to go on foot, specially not on the snowed ground, but riding wasn’t exactly comfortable either, and their horses couldn’t just go on forever. At least they came across several streams, which allowed their horses to take well deserved breaks. 

“We could try heading for the village we came from and ask for directions.” he added. “Or an inn, I would rather sleep on a proper bed tonight.” Linhardt added with a tired frown on his face. 

Caspar had decided to walk instead of riding his horse—to “get a better feel of the area”—, so he walked ahead as he lead the steed by holding on to its rein. He rotated their worn map over and over again, trying to find their location.

“What? No! I’m telling you, I’ve traveled through this route before, I know the way!” he exclaimed. “Have a little faith in me, would you?” he huffed.

Linhardt gave him a disbelieving look. “I had faith in you two hours ago. Now I’m convinced we'll freeze to death out here.” 

“Don’t be such a pessimist, Linhardt. We’re getting closer to the village. I can tell.” he insisted. 

Linhardt let out a defeated sigh. “If you say so.” he drawled. He pulled his coat closer together, trying to keep out the cold. Every time he exhaled, he could see his breath, and the cold wind was starting to numb his face. Letting his hair down didn’t shield his face as well as he thought. He hugged himself in an effort to keep warm, but there was only so much he could do. 

“Alright, let’s say I believe you. Can we set up a fire and set off in the morning? I’m freezing.” he shivered with a pleading look. “This area seems to be safe enough.” 

“C’mon Lin, we still have a couple of hours of sunlight left! We can keep going for a bit longer.” he persuaded cheerfully. 

Linhardt wasn’t convinced, but he knew Caspar wouldn’t let up, and he didn’t have the energy to try and convince him. “Fine.” he conceded. As much as he loved him, he still wished he wasn't so stubborn sometimes. Maybe his affection also helped him acquiesce. Maybe. 

“Oh, wait.” Caspar suddenly said in seemingly realization. He halted the horses, and then he walked back to stand besides Linhardt’s steed. He stood there and stared at the greenhead, as if expecting him to do something.

Linhardt gave him an inquiring look. “What are you doing?”

“Move over.” Caspar ordered.

“What?” 

“Move over, I’ll ride with you.” he replied.

“Why?” 

“What do you mean 'why’? You’re cold. If we ride together, we can keep each other warm.” he said, matter-of-factly. 

Linhardt blushed. “Right.” he agreed. “Take off your armor plates first though, metal isn’t exactly warm.”

Caspar looked down at his clothes. “Oh! Right. Of course.” he chuckled. He proceeded to detach his shoulder and chest plates to put them away on his sack, which hung from his horse.

Linhardt moved further front to make room for Caspar as he made his way back next to him. He watched as he put his foot on the stirrup and lifted himself up to finally accommodate himself behind him.

“You good?” Caspar asked. He took the reins from Linhardt’s hands as he circled him with his arms. The tired man let himself lean back, supporting his head on his partner's shoulder. He shut his eyes as he relaxed, trying to adjust his body to a comfortable position.

“I’m good.” he finally answered. “Thank you, Caspar.” he murmured. 

Caspar let out an affectionate chuckle. He placed a peck on his companion’s forehead, earning himself a soft smile from him. 

“Let’s keep moving then!” he cheered. He pulled the reins lightly, making the horses resume their path. 

Linhardt found he didn’t mind the cold as much anymore. 

————————————

Dusk was almost at its end, and Caspar had discovered two things. One, maybe they really were lost. Two, holding your sleeping boyfriend in place, handling the map, and maneuvering the horse were three very hard things to do at the same time. Linhardt stirred sometimes, he even occasionally mumbled random words, but other than that, he seemed very much asleep. 

Caspar glanced at him every now and then, when he could afford to keep his attention off the map. He chuckled fondly every time he found a strand of hair had made its way to cover Linhardt's face, and every time he gently tucked it back behind his ear. He smiled at how cute he looked with his hair down. He remembered Linhardt mentioned it was time to trim it down a bit, but he never seemed to find the time or energy to get it done.

The cold gradually intensified, and while he had much better resistance for it than his partner, he still tried to wrap his coat around them both as best as he could. Despite all of the struggling, he eventually managed to get them out of the forest. As they exited it, he was disappointed to find that the path ahead ended on a cliff. Regardless, out of curiosity, he cautiously lead their horses closer to the edge, hoping to get a look of what stood below it. When they got closer, he could make out a cluster of lights and what looked like buildings long in the distance, in the middle of a wide, open field. 

“It’s the village!” Caspar cheered. “Linhardt, wake up! Look!” He shook him gently, trying to awaken him. Linhardt woke up startled.

“Huh? Wha- Are we under attack?” he said drowsily. 

“No, look over there, it’s the village! I told you we were getting close.” he boasted.

Linhardt sat up straight as he rubbed the sleep off his eyes. He squinted towards the direction Caspar pointed at, looking for what he was talking about. Caspar saw his shoulders slump. 

“I don’t know about you, but unless you’re suggesting we jump off the cliff as a shortcut, I wouldn’t consider it being close at all.” he doubted.

Caspar glowered at him. “No, we’re not jumping off.” he retorted. “Ok, fine, it’s not that close, but at least we're back on track.” He pulled out the map to mark the route. “If we’re around here, we just need to go back to the forest, continue west, go through the mountain, and we’ll be there in no time.” he concluded.

Linhardt hummed in thought. “At this point I’m just happy we finally know our location, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to keep going at night. There have been sightings of demonic beasts in the area.”

“We’ve fought off plenty of demonic beasts before, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.” Caspar assured him. He took hold of the reins again, steering the horse to turn around and back into the forest. 

“One, maybe.” Linhardt noted as the horses resumed their course. “Any more than that and I doubt we'd make it out alive, and that’s without even considering it’s likely we'd come across a horde of them.”

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll be fine! If we do spot any demonic beasts, we’ll just make a run for it.” Caspar reasoned.

Linhardt looked unconvinced. “Why are you so eager to get to the village? It’s not as if you dislike sleeping on the ground or something of the like.” he asked.

Caspar thought about it. “Hey, I said we’d make it there today so we will make it there today, okay?” he huffed.

Linhardt turned his head to look at him. His expression as tired as ever, it seemed as if he was evaluating him. Eventually, he gave a weak smile in resignation. “Alright, but let’s be cautious.”

“You betcha. I’ll be the most cautious person in the world.” he boasted with a grin, tightly hugging his partner from behind. 

“Oh, I’m sure you will.” Linhardt teased. He loosened Caspar’s bear grip on him to lean into his face and give him a peck on the lips, catching him off guard. 

“What was that for?” he asked, cocking his head in curiosity. 

“For being the most stubborn fool in the land, and me loving you because of it.” 

————————————

As they rode through the forest, their fatigue began to catch up to them. Linhardt begrudgingly decided against falling back asleep—in case they came across an enemy—, but the stress of being constantly on alert only drained him further. He constantly nodded off, only to be slapped awake by the icy wind. 

Not even Caspar was exempt from exhaustion. At some point he started to quiet down, and eventually Linhardt felt his body fall on to him for full support. He could feel his breath and hear his light snoring as his face nuzzled the nape of his neck. He took Caspar’s hands and placed them around his waist, taking possession of the reins he was holding. Although he was slightly shorter than him, he was also bulkier, making him feel quite heavy. Regardless, he figured he should let him rest. He had almost never stopped throughout the whole day. Plus, if they had to fight, he was their main source of damage. He’d need the energy. 

The moon dimly lit the forest, its light filtering through the trees. He constantly verified they were heading in the right direction, but other than that there wasn’t much to do. Bored, he started to contemplate his surroundings. Earlier, animal sounds filled the silence. Bird calls or distant wolf howls kept them company, but now, the later it got and the deeper they ventured into the forest, it became eerily silent. All he could hear were the horses' footsteps in the snow and his partner’s breathing. The wind howled every now and then, startling him. If not for the constant reassurance that Caspar was there, with his body pushing against his, he might have felt unnerved. 

After what felt like hours, he finally spotted the edge of the forest. Not far ahead he could make out the silhouette of the mountain they were supposed to traverse. He relaxed his shoulders a little, letting out a small breath of relief. Finally, it felt like they were making progress. Part of him still regretted not drilling some sense into Caspar to convince him it was dangerous to continue traveling this late at night. They were capable fighters, sure, but demonic beasts were wild and unpredictable, not to mention durable, making them tough to fight with just two people. Fighting at night also put them at a disadvantage, vision-wise. 

As those thoughts crossed his mind, a sudden chill ran down his spine. 

Filled with dread, he frantically looked around them, searching for threats, but he found nothing. Despite that, he couldn't shake off the feeling of danger, so he made the horses speed up their pace. Maybe his tired mind was playing tricks on him, but he wasn’t about to risk it. 

Then, a blood-curdling growl blared close behind them. 

Linhardt slowly turned his head, afraid of what he might encounter. At first, he found nothing again. The voice in his head kept telling him to make a beeline for the exit, but he was frozen in place. He felt like he shouldn't feel this scared, but fear still came over him. After what felt like an eternity, a huge claw stepped out of the darkness, followed by bright yellow eyes. 

His body finally obeyed his mind. “Hah!” He hit the reins hard, bringing the horses to a gallop. “Caspar!” he called. “Caspar!”

Caspar jolted awake. He lost his balance momentarily before adjusting to the new speed. He held onto Linhardt’s waist. “What's wrong?! What happened?” he yelled out. 

“Demonic beast, behind us!” he explained. 

Caspar looked behind them. The aforementioned beast was running after them, but at least it didn’t seem to be catching up. Still, he paled. “Shit!” he cursed. “Don’t stop!” 

“How did I not think of that!” he sassed.

“Oh, shut up! Now’s not the time!” he scolded. He looked back again. As he thought, it wasn’t getting closer, but it wasn’t slowing down either. The beast pulled it’s head back, then forward to hurl a ball of poisonous substance.

“Duck!” Caspar warned. They dodged barely in time, feeling how it brushed past them.

“Wild demonic beasts don’t have good movement, and this one is quite huge. Let’s keep going through the forest, it’ll be easier to lose it.” Linhardt observed. 

Caspar looked back warily. “I dunno Linhardt, it looks pretty set on catching us. Maybe we should fight it off.” he argued.

“No! One hit of that thing and the poison will slowly eat at us. I can only heal so much. Unless we kill it fast, we’ll be done for. It’s too risky.” Linhardt chided. He focused on maneuvering the horse. Caspar’s was slightly behind them, but it was managing to keep up. He tried to go through the most dense parts of the forest, making it as hard as possible for the beast to follow them. 

Caspar growled in frustration. He knew Linhardt was right, but he was a fighter more than he was a flier. He kept glancing back, keeping an eye on the monster. Linhardt’s plan seemed to be working, thankfully. The more they advanced the more the beast struggled to run through the trees. 

Eventually, the beast crashed against a couple of trunks it couldn’t pass through. After regaining its footing, it let out a vicious roar, as if cursing them for escaping, but it didn’t follow after them. Instead, it turned around and ran in other direction. 

“It worked!” he roared. He faced back front, expecting a response, but Linhardt seemed transfixed on the path ahead. “Linhardt.” he called. Still no response. “Linhardt!” he tried again. 

Linhardt seemed to snap out of his trance. “What? Is it gone?” 

“Yes, it’s gone! You can slow down now.” he assured. 

“Right.” he murmured. He pulled the reins lightly, bringing the horses to a halt. He still held on tightly to the reins, even as they stopped. 

“Man, that was close. We got out of that thanks to you, nice job.” he praised. Linhardt still didn’t seem to be entirely attentive to what he was saying. “Uh, Lin? You okay?” he asked. He leaned further forward, trying to glance at his face. He was surprised to find such a shaken expression. Drifting his eyes towards his hands that were still holding on tightly to the reins, he noticed they were trembling, and that he was breathing rapidly. “Woah, hey, what’s wrong? Did you get hurt?” he frowned. He placed his hands on top of his. “Hey, it’s okay, you can let go now.” 

Linhardt winced at the touch, but it was enough to ground him. His expression softened. “Ah. Yes, you’re right.” he mouthed. 

“You don’t look good. Are you okay?” Caspar asked with concern.

“Yes, I’m alright. I was just a bit shaken up by the whole ordeal, that’s all.” he assured. His breathing steadied. “Let’s keep going. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.” he stated. He took the reins again, instructing the horses to resume walking. They headed in their originally planned direction again. 

Caspar was not convinced, but he let it go for the moment. He kept his hands on top of his. “Let me guide. Rest for a bit.” he insisted.

“I’m fine, Caspar.” Linhardt insisted. 

“I know.” he reassured him. He hugged him by the waist. He brushed his nose against the nape of his neck. “I just want you to take a break, alright?” he pleaded. 

Linhardt meditated for a while, but he ultimately let his body relax. “Alright.” he finally conceded. He let go of the reins, letting Caspar take control. He leaned back against his partner once again, arms moving to hug himself. He glanced at his partner's face, and Caspar simply smiled at him innocently, causing him to smile back. 

He directed his attention back at the road, feeling a little better, but his expression darkened once again. Despite the whole ordeal being over, he still couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread.

————————————

Finally, they managed to exit the forest without any more incidents. They paused to let their horses take a break, giving them food and water. The tall, snowy mountain stood not much further ahead. Linhardt sat on a boulder nearby, observing it. The village stood just about twenty minutes away. The cliff they had been in earlier hung above them, the forest still close behind them. 

Caspar came over to his side, holding two apples. “Here.” He tossed one at Linhardt, who barely caught it. “It’s not much, but we could both use a bite.” he said.

“Definitely.” he agreed. He took a bite out of the apple before redirecting his attention back at the mountain. It split off the middle, forming a wide path people could travel through. It was likely man made, he concluded.

“What are you thinking?” Caspar inquired. 

“I…” he pondered. He felt paranoid, thinking something bad was about to happen just because of how scared he felt earlier, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to bring it up, paranoia or not. “I can’t shake off the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.” he confessed with a frown.

Caspar regarded him with care. “Because of the beast earlier?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?" he sighed. "I just do."

Caspar considered his words. He remembered how shaken up Linhardt looked earlier, and he knew he must still feel wary. “We could go scout ahead.” he proposed, hoping to ease his concerns. “It would be easier to be stealthy on foot.”

“We probably should. I had enough risk for one night.” He agreed.

“Alright, let’s go then.” he smiled. 

Linhardt stood up. As he unwrinkled his clothes, the horses started neighing wildly. They both turned their heads to see what caused such a fuss, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. 

“Hey, you two! Calm down, what’s wrong?” Caspar spoke gently at the horses. He walked towards them to investigate. “Did you see a snake or something?”

Linhardt mentally cursed as yet again he felt a chill run down his spine, making his heart sink. He followed after his partner.

“Caspar, wai–” 

He was cut off by a boulder colliding against his body, launching him into the snow. His ears recognized the sound of bones cracking.

“Linhardt!” Caspar yelled out. “Where did that come from?!” he looked around trying to find the attacker. No one seemed to be around. Looking back at the forest, he noticed a huge shadow running through the trees, but then it blended into the darkness.

Linhardt cursed when he tried to sit up. He felt sharp pain across his torso. His chest ached as blood rose up his throat, causing him to vomit. Placing his hand on his chest, he started to heal himself, his hand glowing with a white aura. As he felt his insides patch up, he managed to slowly stand up. Caspar came to his side, offering a hand for support. 

“You okay?” he asked with visible concern. 

“I’ll be fine. Nothing I can’t mend.” he put his hand down when he felt satisfied with the result. He only used enough magic to make the damage bearable. If they had to fight, he had to spend it wisely.

“Something’s lurking in the forest.” Caspar informed him. “I doubt it decided to pull a hit and run. It must still be nearby.” he warned. He pulled out his axe from where it hung in his back, adopting a fighting stance. 

Linhardt did the same, readying a fire spell. “Did you get a glimpse of it?” he asked.

“No, but it looked big.” Caspar answered. “It’s probably another beast, but I don’t think it’ll kindly let us get on the horses and leave.” he pointed out.

“Just our luck.” Linhardt grumbled. “It can’t be the same as the one following us earlier. Giant wolves are the ones who usually hurl rocks at you when attacking.” he deduced. “We have a better fighting chance against one of those.” Caspar nodded in agreement.

They stared expectantly into the forest. The sound of cracking branches and rustling leaves resounded in the air, but nothing else could be seen. They stayed alert, knowing it would come at them at any moment. 

A giant wolf jumped out of the shadows.

This time they were expecting it, so they managed to jump aside before it trampled them. They landed on opposite sides of the beast. Linhardt instantly shot an attack, though it didn’t do much damage. The beast focused its attention on him, but before it could run at him Caspar brought down his axe on it.

“Take this!” he yelled out as the blade tore through the flesh. The beast let out a pained cry. It tried to shove him away with a swing of his head, but he managed to dodge it. Linhardt attacked with a Bolganone spell this time, managing to char its skin. The monster contorted in pain. Feeling cornered, it spun its whole body to strike all around him. Linhardt managed to dodge in time, but Caspar got grazed by a claw. Linhardt immediately sprung to action, healing him before he had the chance to complain.

“Thanks!” Caspar said. Once again, he struck the beast with his axe, twice this time. The beast lost its footing, collapsing to the ground in a dazed state. 

Linhardt took the chance to launch a volley of attacks. The beast roared in anger once again as it stood up. 

“It’s weak!” Caspar announced. “One last push!” 

He prepared an Excalibur spell this time, trying to finish it off. Right before launching it, he heard a loud thud behind him, followed by a growl. Hot breathing grazed his neck. He turned around.

Another wolf.

Caspar’s eyes widened in panic when he noticed the new arrival. “Linhardt, get out of there!” 

Speed was never his forte. He wanted to move, but his eyes could only widen in terror as he saw the beast’s claw come down on to him. The first thing his brain registered was the blood gushing out in front of him. The second one, his name being shouted in the distance. And then, the pain.

Goddess,  _ the pain.  _ He knew he was screaming, but he couldn’t hear it. As he hit the ground, he regained his senses. 

“LINHARDT!” Caspar cried out. He was fighting defensively for the moment, dodging as well as he could, trying to verify if his partner was conscious. He got distracted for an instant, allowing the first wolf to hit him with a boulder. He didn’t take too much damage, but the unexpected collision still pushed him to the ground. He landed close to Linhardt. Panic filled him when he saw the snow around them turn into a crimson color, but at least Linhardt was still moving. The second beast prepared to strike him again. He got up immediately to block the attack. He struggled, but he managed to at least stop it. 

Linhardt tried to get up by leaning on his right arm, but it didn’t have the strength to support him, causing him to collapse back on the ground. The muscles in his shoulders had taken severe damage, he wouldn’t be able to rely on it. He tried his left arm this time, and he managed to finally sit up. He quickly casted a restoring spell. It used a lot his energy, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Caspar needed healing as well, and he wasn’t very helpful himself unless he could move. He noticed the big pool of his blood on the ground, but he didn’t have the time to feel sickened by it. When he stood up he readied another Fire spell. It was enough to disturb the beast and allow Caspar to push it off. 

Caspar took advantage of the opening, slashing it with his own axe. The beast recoiled back a couple of meters. He gave a quick side glance at Linhardt to check on him. He was panting, and he looked a little pale. He lost a considerable amount of blood with that last wound, and having to both fight and heal wasn’t helping him conserve his energy. He considered his choices.

The horses ran into cover when the fight started, so they were too far for them to attempt fleeing. He’d like Linhardt to be able to fall back and adapt a supporting role, but they couldn’t afford that, they needed to end this as fast as possible. Maybe, he could at least attract all the aggro while Linhardt attacked from afar. It would be hard to dodge the attacks from both of the beasts, specially with all the snow, but he had to try.

“Linha-” 

“No.” he interrupted. “I’m not falling back.” he affirmed. He knew his condition, but he could still fight.

“You can’t keep fighting for long!” Caspar chided. 

“I can. I will. I can’t afford to fight passively. We need to be aggressive to end this before things get worse.” he stated firmly.

The first wolf hurled another rock at them. They managed to dodge it. The second wolf was still recovering from the hit.

Caspar stared at him, and the determined look on his face made him understand he wouldn’t budge. He nodded his head begrudgingly. “And you say I’m the stubborn one.” he added.

Linhardt smirked. He dodged a claw from the beaten up beast, the other one seemed to be preparing to attack them again. “Try to keep our newest arrival busy, I’ll finish this one off.” he commanded. Caspar nodded in acknowledgement. 

They headed in opposite directions. Caspar launched an attack on the second beast once again. He managed to make a deep cut on its neck area. It tried to retaliate with his claw, but he managed to dodge it. 

Linhardt launched a series of wind attacks to catch the other beast’s attention. He tried to put as much distance as possible between them. The beast jumped at him. He rolled to the side to dodge, and the beast crashed against a boulder behind him. He took the chance to burn him with another Bolganone spell.

The beast roared in pain. The smell of burnt fur and flesh filled the air. It turned to face Linhardt once again, baring his fangs at him with a savage growl. Despite its menacing demeanor, he could tell the monster was on its last legs. Its movements became lethargic. It ran towards Linhardt once again, in a slower manner this time. 

Linhardt planted himself on the ground. He charged a great amount of energy on his palms, preparing for a powerful Excalibur attack. He wanted to finish it now. “I’ll do what I have to!” he yelled out, releasing the attack. 

He landed the attack. The beast cried out one last time before finally collapsing to the ground. Linhardt’s shoulders heaved as he panted, but he didn’t have the time to rest. There was still one more enemy left. He turned his head in Caspar’s direction. The sudden movement dizzied him for a second. At this point, he didn’t know if it was because of blood loss or the sight of blood itself.

Caspar seemed to be doing fine for the moment. He had a few cuts and grazes, but Linhardt patched them up as soon as he spotted them. The beast seemed noticeably worn out, too. He focused on providing support for the moment. Adrenaline kept him going, but he could tell he was running out of energy.

When Caspar noticed his wounds heal, he looked in Linhardt's direction. Relief washed over him as he saw the other beast had been dealt with. As soon as they defeated this one, they could make a beeline for the village and finally get some rest. 

Revitalized, he unleashed a flurry of attacks on the beast. Linhardt followed with a couple of fire attacks of his own. The monster recoiled, falling into a dazed state. Caspar prepared to end it with one final blow. “Here I go!” he yelled out.

Before he could make a move, a flurry of familiar poisonous attacks flied out from behind the wolf, killing it with one strike. They barely dodged the purple spheres themselves. As the giant wolf’s body fell to the ground with one last roar, they widened their eyes in terror at what lied in the darkness behind it.

The wild demonic beast from earlier had found its way to them again.

“No.” Linhardt breathed in disbelief. He didn’t think they could fight a third, much stronger beast. 

Caspar did a better job of keeping his composure. He adapted a fighting stance once again, a determined look on his face. Linhardt stood a bit further behind him. 

“Caspar... I don’t think we can win.” he choked, taking a step back. 

Caspar wasn’t looking at him, but he could hear the fear in his voice. “Linhardt, don’t lose heart now. We can win.” he encouraged. His expression darkened. “We don't really have any other choice.” 

Linhardt regarded him with heavy concern. He knew he was right, but that didn’t make him feel any better. His magic supply was beginning to run dry, he could feel it. On top of that, his own movements had become lethargic. His breath was shallow, and he felt light headed. The beating of his heart accelerated. Still, as much as he didn’t want to, he had no choice but to prepare himself to fight, too.

The beast warily walked towards them, taking long, gradual steps. Its bared fangs and murderous growl served as an effective way to perturb them. 

“Caspar.” Linhardt spoke with a hoarse voice, “I can’t keep going for long.” he admitted. 

“I know.” Caspar asseverated. 

Linhardt nodded. “I hate to cede all of the burden to you, but you’ll have to take care of the frontal attack. I’ll try to keep my distance. If you get hit by its poison, I’ll cure you, but I can only manage to do so another two or three times.” Most of the time, he would be able to use his magic more, but recovering from the attacks he received earlier had cost him a considerable amount of energy. “Understood?” he asked. 

“You got it.” Caspar affirmed. 

The monster walked past the wolf’s corpse, finally stopping right in front of them. It was being annoyingly cautious. Both parties remained separated by a few meters, none of them willing to make the first move. Seconds passed as they stared off against the beast, and the amount kept increasing as they waited for the monster to charge at them. 

The first thing it did was discharge a ball of poison in their direction. They simply moved to the side to dodge, but immediately after it jumped in between them. It forced them to jump to the side again, to avoid being crushed underneath. 

They now stood on opposite sides of the animal. Caspar wasted no time in charging at it. He swung his axe with strong, swift movements. He missed the first one, but the second one struck directly on the left side of its body, leaving a gash on its scaly skin. As it roared in anger, it counter attacked by flinging its head at him. Caspar dodged the hit. 

Linhardt took the chance to distance himself from the fight a bit further. He staggered as he dashed, but he managed to stay on his feet. When he considered the distance to be sufficient, he unleashed a Bolganone attack. A ring of fire appeared around the monster, which then closed in on it to scorch its skin. 

Before the beast could even consider running at Linhardt, Caspar took advantage of the burns caused by the attack, shoving his axe into one of the charred skin spots. The beast tumbled to the ground in a temporary daze, roaring in pain.

“Good! Keep it going!” Linhardt encouraged. 

With nothing more than an acknowledging nod, he immediately charged at the beast again. He swung down the axe, but right before the attack connected, the beast unexpectedly got to its feet and pushed him off with a fling of its head. Caspar was briefly flown through the air before his back crashed against a boulder. “Shit!” he grunted in pain. He landed not far to Linhardt’s right. He instantly mended the damage, to his relief.

The monster closed the distance between them. Before Caspar could get back on his feet, it released a volley of poisonous spheres all around it. He rolled to the side to dodge one heading in his direction. 

Linhardt tried to do the same, but in his state his feet moved slower than his body could react, and he was hit by one of the spheres. “Ugh!” he grunted in pain. His vision clouded and his insides twisted as the poison took effect as soon as it made contact. He stumbled back a couple of steps, coughing up blood. He had to restore himself as soon as he came back to his senses. 

Back in action, Caspar charged once again. He managed to strike the monster three times this time, taking care to dodge its body attacks as he did so. Regardless, a couple of them still hit. Then, he was blasted with a point-blank poison sphere. 

That was Linhardt’s second usage of the restoring spell. Magic was depleting fast. His vision got blurrier by the minute. He tried to remain calm and focused, but dread was slowly taking over him. He followed up with a flurry of his own fire attacks. With their combined damage, they brought the beast to the ground again. It let out a pained roar. 

It didn’t stay there for long. It jumped back, putting a good amount of distance between them. Soon after, it released another volley of magic attacks. This time, with the added distance, they both managed to dodge it. But then, a second one followed, and then a third. 

They couldn’t hope to dodge them all. Caspar got hit twice. He coughed up blood as his stomach twisted in pain. His insides burned. Linhardt somehow managed to only be hit once, finding a boulder to shield himself with. He used his third and last restoring spell, making sure to focus more energy on Caspar to completely get rid of the toxins in his body. As long as Caspar could fight, they could win. Now that he had almost completely run out of enough energy to use magic, he focused his last efforts on keeping his partner up. He’d take care of his own injuries later. He hoped they still had an antitoxin laying around somewhere, or that Caspar would be in a good enough condition to get them to the village. 

But a beast is at its more dangerous when cornered, and he knew that. 

Following up its magic attacks, it sprinted in Caspar’s direction once again. Fast. Just barely having regained his footing after the last attack, he failed to avoid the monster’s incoming charge. The beast made it so that its horns gashed Caspar’s chest. 

He screamed in pain. 

“Caspar!” Linhardt cried out. He watched in horror as he saw his body hanging from the horns. The beast shook him off, throwing him off into the bedrock. He immediately raised his hand to cast the healing spell, but cut himself off as he realized the beast was quickly running at Caspar once again. 

If he healed him before it hit, he would live, but he probably wouldn’t be able to heal him again. That, or he’d be risking the blow to be fatal.

He switches from faith to reason in an instant, charging a powerful Excalibur attack. As fast as he could, he fired at the beast.

The beast roared as the attack hit. He forgot about Caspar for the time being, focusing on Linhardt instead. It charged at full speed.

He couldn’t run. He couldn’t walk. At this point, he could barely even stand. He cursed his own carelessness, but he knew it was the only way. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Caspar move.

Caspar leaned on the bedrock to try and get up, but he was doubled over in pain trying to apply pressure to his wounds to stop the blood. His ears were ringing, and his eyes were foggy. Blood dripped down his forehead. He must’ve hit his head too, he realized. Thankfully, the horns hadn’t pierced too deep, so the wounds in his chest weren’t terribly grave. As the haziness subsided, he turned his attention back at his opponent.

The beast heading straight for a very weakened Linhardt. 

He could see the panic in Linhardt's eyes as he struggled to keep his bearings. He saw him brace for the attack as firmly as his body allowed. Caspar’s own body filled with despair. He put his every effort into trying to move, to try something to attract the beast’s attention,  _ anything _ , but the wound in his head made him lose balance, causing him to fall forward. “Shit, no!” he cursed. “Come at  _ me _ , damn it!” he shouted, desperate. 

Through clouded eyes, Linhardt helplessly watched as the beast got to him. It flung its head at him, the side of it colliding with his body. He was shoved to the side, rolling through the ground until he landed face-up on the snow. His whole body ached due to the impact, but at least the snow had cushioned the hit. The beast walked over, hovering over him. He could feel his humid, putrid breath on his face. 

He remembered he still had to heal Caspar. He reached out towards him with his arm, turning his face to look at him. A small wave of relief washed over him when he saw him back on his feet, although he couldn’t quite make out his expression. He managed to output a fraction of the healing before the monster trampled him with his claw. 

“FUCK! LINHARDT!” Caspar said with rage. He saw the beast pin Linhardt down to the ground, making him scream in pain. “Leave him alone!” he cried out. It was crushing his torso and arms, claws slowly digging deeper and deeper into his shoulders. 

Linhardt felt the air leave his lungs as the beast brought its paw down on him. He heard the distinct sound of his rib cage cracking, again. He had to turn his head to the side to not choke on the blood he coughed up. Coughing and breathing sent a sharp pain through his body, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Caspar panicked. Linhardt would die unless he acted fast. He tried to move forward again. He noticed his head wasn’t hurting anymore. Linhardt apparently managed to heal him, even if just a little, just enough for him to move at least. He frantically scanned the snow, searching for his axe. It couldn’t be far. 

Why the beast hadn’t landed a finishing blow yet, Linhardt didn’t know. He found it odd that these monsters would enjoy toying with their prey. He wished it would just end the agony. His eyes caught a blue spot moving about in the distance. His vision was getting worse, he noticed first. Then he remembered.

_ ‘Ah, right. Not yet.’ _

There were things he could still do. They could still make it through this. At the very least, he’d do everything in his power so that Caspar did.

He couldn’t quite feel his arm. The ache had numbed his senses, but he saw his fingers still moved slightly as he ordered them to. Slowly, he felt the magic gather in his palm. With strain, he aimed one last physic. As if aware of what he'd done, the beast pressed down harder, crushing his ribcage further. A punctured lung. He couldn't breathe.

Caspar finally spotted his axe on the ground where he was attacked. It was hard to move his upper body, but his legs worked. He bent down to pick up his weapon, with surprisingly little effort. The pain was gone. Looking down he noticed the bleeding had stopped completely. His skin showed no signs of ever being torn, only trails of dried blood remained on his clothes. 

He looked back at Linhardt with mixed feelings of gratitude and anger, but mostly deep concern. “Save it for yourself, you idiot!” he yelled.

Reinvigorated, he dashed for the beast. Its attention still focused on Linhardt, he managed to land an attack on its spine. 

The beast recoiled instantly. He could hear Linhardt gasp for air when it let go of him. It roared ferociously as it charged at Caspar. He started running forward as well. 

As the beast got closer, it fired a poison attack. Caspar slided through the snow to dodge, leaving him underneath the beast’s neck. He slashed the lower part of its throat. The beast cried out with a roar. Immediately after, he rolled to the side. He got to his feet and watched the beast thrash about in pain. After the trashing they gave it earlier and that hit, he knew it couldn't possibly live for much longer. He wasn’t about to waste any more time observing. With all the strength he could muster, he brought down the axe on the beast’s neck. 

“I’ll have your head!” he roared. 

Quiet ensued. Then, the monster’s neck split off, and its head rolled to the ground, followed by the body. Caspar panted. He put away his axe as he watched the monster go down. 

Linhardt’s battered body entered his sight. He rushed over to his side. “Linhardt!” he called. He knelt down next to him. He felt horrified by the damage he received. His chest was still rising and falling, giving him the relief that at least he was still alive. “Hey! Are you still with me?” he asked, his voice heavy with concern. 

He looked terribly sick. His eyes were unfocused. His breathing was heavy, he appeared to be struggling to breathe at all. Blood gushed out of the wounds in his arms and chest. 

It pained him, but he could breath once again. Linhardt didn’t know why the beast had released him, and he was afraid it was simply in anticipation to trample him harder, but he was finally free of its grasp. Staring up at the sky, he only saw blurred spots of light. He tried to move, but his body wasn't listening. All he got instead was a wave of overwhelming pain. Blood rose up to his mouth once again. 

His abdomen still ached from the poison. The small amount left in his body apparently had started to take root. He felt absurdly warm, too, which was hard to believe given how cold he was moments ago.

Light blue filled his vision. He heard the muffled sound of a voice. Caspar’s voice. Caspar.

After trying to adjust his eyes, his face came into focus. He looked… scared. His mouth was moving, but he couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“...hardt…”

The ringing in his ears made it hard to discern his words. 

“...inhardt… re… kay…”

He sounded alarmed. Was something wrong? 

“Linhardt!” 

His hearing finally returned to him.

_ ‘Oh, right. I guess I might die.’ _

“Caspar…” he hoarsed. 

“Hey! I’m here, I’m here! How bad is it? Can you move? We need to get you help. Can you sit up?” he said. 

Linhardt tried to, once again, but he didn’t have any more success than the last time.

“I’m… sorry…” he whispered.

Caspar was confused, but he knew where this was going. “W-what?” he choked. “What are you apologizing for?” He felt tears well up in his eyes. He didn’t like the tone in Linhardt's voice. 

“I…” he breathed. “I don’t think… I’ll make it to the village, in the end. I-” he smiled softly.

“No!” Caspar interrupted. “Don’t even start with that. C’mon. I’ll get you up right now. Our horses must be nearby. We’ll hop on and get going.” He cupped the right side of his face. “So stay with me, alright?” he begged. 

Linhardt's face felt warm. Too warm. He moved his hand to his forehead instead. ‘ _ Goddess. He’s burning up.’ _ Sure enough, he also did look to be in a somewhat dazed state. But why? Did his wounds get infected already?

His heart sank in realization. 

‘ _ You’re the damn biggest idiot _ ’, he thought. He hadn’t cured himself of the poison.  _ 'Why’.  _ The tears welled up in his eyes began to fall. That just made his condition even worse.

As if reading his mind, Linhardt spoke. “I’m sorry” he apologized again. “it… it was the best plan I could think of.” he hoarsed. Hot tears landed on his face.

Caspar refused to waste any more time talking. He needed help,  _ now _ . “You’re gonna be fine, Linhardt.” he declared. “And after you recover, I’ll tell you off for pulling this shit.” 

Linhardt gave no reply. He placed an arm below his shoulders, and the other below his knees. “I know this is gonna hurt. I’m sorry.” Caspar apologized. With that, he heaved him up. He winced and whimpered at the sudden movement, and Caspar gave another silent apology. He positioned him so that his head could lean on his shoulder. “Let’s get going.” he said determined. 

Linhardt shut his exhausted eyes, but he fought to stay conscious. He opened them to look up at Caspar's face. His eyes were filled with a mix of conviction and fear. With a broken heart, he wished he could offer him comfort.

In that moment, he begged the Goddess to let him survive this. He realized he genuinely did not want to die, if only so that he didn’t have to put Caspar through that sorrow. More than anything, though, he wanted to keep enjoying the life they had built together. 

Caspar walked in the direction the horses ran off earlier. Just like he said, the pair hadn’t gone very far. He strode towards them fast but gently, careful not to disturb the man in his arms too much. “You’re gonna make it through this, Lin.” he reassured. “I promise.”

_ 'Because I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t’. _

————————————

The unforgiving wind crashed against his face as he galloped through the snowed field. Caspar held on to Linhardt with one arm, and he kept a tight grip on one rein with the other. He did his best to shield him from the wind with his coat, having wrapped it around him to keep him as warm as possible. His consciousness fluctuated between awareness and blacking out constantly, but he remained silent the entire time.

Caspar gazed down at him frequently. At least for now, his condition did not seem to worsen much, but that didn't mean it was good at all. He did still cough up blood constantly, and he looked quite pale. Before departing, he bandaged the gravest wounds as best and fast as he could, hoping it would help lessen the bleeding. 

The village was getting closer by the minute. He prayed a medic wouldn’t be too hard to find this late at night. He’d personally drag them out of bed if he had to.

Linhardt stirred in his arms. He looked down at him, checking if he woke up again. He met with half-open, tired blue eyes. “Hey there.” he smiled at him tenderly, just like he did every other time he awakened.

After a brief pause, he spoke softly. “Hello…” Linhardt drawled.

Caspar didn't expect an answer. He usually blacked out soon after. He noticed his hand twitch. Eventually it evolved from a light twitch to wider movement, as he realized Linhardt strained to lift up his hand. It made it halfway up to Caspar's face before he decided to meet him there, momentarily letting go of the rein. He squeezed it gently, not without missing how cold he felt. “We’ll be there soon. Just hold on a little longer.” he reassured him, placing a peck on the back of his hand. 

Linhardt simply stared at him for a while. “Caspar.” he murmured. “I love you.”

Caspar’s smile widened, but the situation caused tears to well up in his eyes. “And I love you.” he cooed. He placed a kiss on his forehead.

Linhardt gave him the faintest of smiles before closing his eyes once again, hoping with all of his being that it would not be the last time he said it. 

————————————

Finally, they had reached the village. 

Caspar immediately began to ask for help from everyone he encountered. Soon enough, the villagers pointed him in the direction of the infirmary. He went as fast as the streets allowed him. 

To his dismay, Linhardt suddenly jolted awake, gasping for air. Caspar was horrified to see him have a fit of blood coughing soon after.  _ 'Shit. Shit. Shit.’  _ he cursed.

They arrived at the infirmary. He immediately dismounted the horse—Linhardt still struggling to breathe—and burst through the front doors. 

“Help! Please!” he begged. 

————————————

Birdsong.

His first thought was how harmonious it sounded. It was placid. It eased the soreness that aroused in his body. A much welcome softness supported him underneath. He found himself to be wrapped in a comfy, warm fabric, too. Really, he felt like sleeping forever. 

Bright light, however, nagged him to open his eyes, and he slowly obliged. He squinted as he tried to adjust his eyes to his surroundings.

He found that the responsible party for his discomfort were the sunrays infiltrating through the window, escaping the translucent curtains. To his delight, a cloud passed by and shielded his eyes from the fiend. With nothing else disturbing his eyes, he noticed snowflakes quietly falling to the ground. 

As his gaze ventured downwards, he noticed a couch located below the window, and on it, a certain bluenette sleeping soundly. He looked peaceful, even though his position seemed odd and uncomfortable considering how small the couch was for him. You could tell by his even breathing and the drool coming out of his mouth that he was unperturbed, out like a light.

Linhardt recalled the occurrences of the day before. He presumed they were at an infirmary or something of the sort, judging by the lined up beds. 

He couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips. They really had made it out of that mess—both of them. He felt both thankful and surprised that Caspar managed to get him help in time. Then again, few things could stop him once he set his mind on something. A warm smile crossed his features. 

Calling out to him crossed his mind, but he dismissed the thought. He felt the need to talk to him, but Caspar needed to rest as much as he did, yesterday had been a terribly long day. His body felt awfully heavy, too. This early in the morning, he would love to sleep for a while longer. 

————————————

After the doctor reassured him again and again that his partner’s life was out of danger, he finally let himself relax. He felt very worn out, and he was ready to crash wherever, but first he had to check on his best friend.

As he entered the room, his eyes watered. Not out of sadness, but out of relief. He really was okay. He had made it. 

He walked over to his bed, and stood beside him. He looked him over, taking in the aftermath of the assault. His upper body was covered in bandages. They told him his right arm had been broken, but his torso had taken the worst of the damage. Magic and medicine did their things, and he would recover completely, with a couple of scars left here and there, but he still would need a lot of bed rest. They had no trouble getting rid of the leftover poison with some antitoxins. 

He seated himself on the side of the bed. With his hand he reached out to caress Linhardt’s face. If it wasn’t for all the bandages, he’d say he was just taking a nap. He stayed like that for a while, simply taking him in. The nurses had taken care to wash off the blood and dirt, and he was grateful for that. 

He smiled at the thought that Linhardt would probably be delighted to have every excuse to sleep as much as he wanted to for the next few days. With that thought, he quietly walked out of the room. 

He went out to a nearby stable to leave the horses in their care for a couple of days. With their luggage in hand, he returned to the infirmary. The staff insisted he stayed the night at an inn, but he refused to leave the building. They eventually conceded to let him sleep on the love seat in the room Linhardt had been assigned to. There were other beds, but he had to keep them clear in case patients came in. 

Before retiring for the night, he grabbed from their bags a wool quilt Linhardt was very fond of, which he overlaid on top of him. He grabbed a blanket and pillow of his own, lied on the couch, and called it a night. 

————————————

When Caspar opened his eyes again, morning had arrived. At the moment, the two of them were the only ones in the room. With a long yawn, he sat up and stretched, to then lean back on the couch. It wasn’t the most comfortable of places, but it did the job. He sat there, staring in front of him. From what he could see, Linhardt was still knocked out. _ ‘But that’s to be expected’,  _ he thought. 

He was curled up on his side, facing him, sleeping peacefully. You couldn’t tell he had a near death experience last night just by looking at him, honestly. Walking over to his bed, he sat at the edge on the top, next to his head. Back pressed against the wall, he sat as comfortably as the small space allowed him to. 

He stroke Linhardt’s head gently, running his fingers through his dark green locks. Keeping up the motion, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He kept going like that for a long stretch of time. The cozy atmosphere made Caspar almost doze off himself, until a voice snapped him out of his serenity. 

“You know, if you wanted me to make room for you, you could have just told me so.” Linhardt drawled.

Caspar looked down at him, startled. He stared wide eyed at the man beside, who looked back at him with a lazy smile. It took him a few seconds, before a big grin took over his face. “Hey! You’re finally awake!” he rejoiced. 

He leaned down to place a long, tender kiss on his lips, cupping his face as he did so. Linhardt placed his hands over his. It was an eager kiss, one they had both been longing for, ever since they felt the despair of thinking they might never get the chance to experience it again. When they pulled back, they kept their foreheads brushing one against the other. 

“Welcome back to the world of the living.” Caspar grinned. 

Linhardt cupped Caspar’s face with his palms, brushing off the stray joyful tears that streamed down his cheeks. “Thank you for not letting stray too far from it.” he murmured. 

Caspar held on to his wrists, caressing the back of his hands with his thumbs. “Are you kidding?” he chuckled. “I’d be dead meat if it weren’t for you.” 

“I suppose we can agree we wouldn't have made it without the other.” he admitted. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” he agreed. 

They held onto each other for a couple of minutes, exchanging soft touches and tender gazes. Eventually, Caspar sat up again, this time opposite of Linhardt, making it so that they were one in front of the other.

“That aside, I still can’t just ignore how reckless that was, Lin.” Caspar chided with a serious tone.

Linhardt stared at him, confused. “What do you mean?” he wondered. He made an effort to sit up. It was still painful to move around, he realized. 

“What do I- Wait, should you be sitting up? Can you do that? Should I ask the doctor? Are you in pain? Wait, oh man, I probably should’ve called the nurses as soon as you woke up. Oh man, I’m sorry, I’ll call them no-” he rambled.

“Caspar.” he cut him off. He had managed to sit up halfway, leaning on his elbows. “I’m fine. My body does hurt, but it’s nothing unbearable.” he reassured him. “Although I would appreciate your help.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” 

He rushed to help him sit all the way up. Linhardt’s face grimaced in pain a couple of times in the process, but he looked fine otherwise. 

Now in the light of day, seeing him covered in bandages, last night’s event hit him right in the gut again. He remembered how his body flew out after the boulder hit him. The beast’s claw gashing his chest. The beast almost crushing him to death. The nauseating sound of bones breaking. The pool of blood underneath him. His blank stare. His pale skin. His cold touch. How he almost suffocated in his arms. 

As all of the memories flashed before his eyes, his breathing accelerated. This time, the tears pouring out of his eyes were far from happy. He noticed Linhardt looking at him, face filled with sudden worry. He felt his hand gently touching his cheek. It felt warm, he thought. He could see his lips moving, but the sound of his heart’s rapid beating overwhelmed his ears. He was spiraling out of control but he couldn’t stop. 

Linhardt kept calling his name, over and over again. Eventually he opted for physical contact. He grabbed his face with both hands, pulling him closer.

“Caspar!” he exclaimed, face to face. “You’re okay. Look at me.” he said in a softer tone. “Focus on my voice. Breathe.”

Caspar’s eyes frantically searched his face. For what, he didn’t know. 

“Breath. You’re okay. Look at me. I’m okay. We’re okay.” he reassured him. He took slow, deep breaths, trying to encourage Caspar to do the same. 

Eventually, the fog in Caspar’s eyes cleared up. He looked straight into Linhardt’s eyes. His breathing slowed down, but it was still ragged. 

“You… You almost died, Linhardt.” he breathed. "We've been through so much, but that was the first time I actually thought you might…" he trailed off, not wanting to phrase it.

Linhardt frowned, confused, but then understanding washed over his face. He took one of Caspar’s hands and he put it over his heart. 

“I’m still here.” he reassured him, softly. “I’m alright.”

Caspar, not convinced, kept staring deeply into his eyes, frowning lightly. Linhardt noticed the turmoil that filled them, and his heart broke for him. Breaking eye contact, Caspar wrapped him tightly with his arms, and he buried his face on his shoulder. 

“But you could’ve died.” he sobbed. “Why didn’t you heal yourself when you had the chance? Why did you call the beast’s attention? You put yourself at too much risk!” he continued. 

As Linhardt held him, he could feel him trembling. Hot tears soaked his shoulder. 

“I… I really didn’t have much of a choice.” he explained. He decided against elaborating any further. He knew that Caspar understood why he did what he did, and he couldn’t blame him for not liking it regardless. Gently, he drew circles on his back with his thumbs, and then he placed a kiss on his temple. “I am sorry for making you worry.” he apologized. 

Caspar didn’t answer. He held onto Linhardt for a long time before his breathing finally steadied and his sobs died out. After a pause, he finally spoke again.

“Leave being a reckless idiot to me, would you?” he hoarsed.

Linhardt couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Alright. I’ll try.” he assured him. 

Caspar straightened up to face him. With swollen eyes he stared at him, taking him in again. He cupped his face with his hand, and Linhardt leaned into the touch. He placed his hand on Caspar’s to then place a smooch on his palm. “Do you feel better?” he asked, a gentle smile on his face. 

He returned the gesture. “Yeah. Thanks.” he said. “Sorry for bursting out like that.”

Linhardt shook his head in disagreement. “No need to apologize. I’m glad you let it all out.” he reassured him. 

After a brief moment of silence, Caspar wiped the remaining tears of his face, putting his grin back on. “Well, I should probably get us some breakfast. You hungry?” he chirped. 

“Famished.” he responded, smiling. 

Caspar stood up. “Alright then, I’ll be right back. Don’t miss me too much.” he winked, making his way to the door.

Linhardt chortled. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll try my best.” he teased. “Just so you know, after eating, I’ll have you join me for a nap.” 

Caspar laughed. “It’s a date.” he flirted. “Oh, wait.” He backtracked to the bed. “I almost forgot.” He leaned down to give his boyfriend another lengthy, warm kiss. After catching his breath, he placed a kiss on his forehead, and then on his nose, earning himself an affectionate chuckle from Linhardt. 

He bounced his way back to the door. “Okay, now I’ll really be back in a sec!” he affirmed. “Love you!” He shouted from the hallway, closing the door behind him. 

Linhardt smiled fondly at his retreating back, until he was out of sight. He looked out the window, gazing at the peaceful snowfall in thought. He felt incredibly grateful to be alive, and to be able to keep sharing his life with the person he loved the most. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I don't think I've ever written action sequences, so I hope that part wasn't too confusing. As always, feedback is highly appreciated! 
> 
> You can find me on twitter at @darkm4ga !


End file.
